Two Flavors of Early Dark Energy Ease Cosmic Tension
Cosmologists faced a recipe problem: the universe's expansion rate measured nearby didn't match the rate deduced from the Big Bang's afterglow — the cosmic microwave background.
The Dim Glow of Black Holes Won't Save the Universe
Cosmologists are facing a curious situation: two reliable tools draw slightly different maps of the same universe. One tool is the map of ancient light (the cosmic microwave background), and the other is the map of galaxy distribution. They broadly agree, but in details they diverge.
How Much Light Hides in Ancient Heat
Boiling milk develops a trembling skin. By watching its movements, you can guess the strength of the fire beneath the pot and the fat content of the milk. In a similar way, astrophysicists peer into the ancient microwave radiation — the oldest light that has reached us from an era when the universe was only 380,000 years old.